Sarah Michelle Gellar isn’t afraid of a little nostalgia.
The beloved ’90s icon thinks looking back can be a worthwhile exercise. As reboots of popular film franchises and television shows from that era proliferate, Gellar tells USA TODAY that she feels “pretty lucky” her work still resonates, all these years later.
Gellar insists that, unlike some other artists, she doesn’t feel pigeon-holed by the decade that made her famous.
“I’ve been fortunate enough that I’ve had work that people remember from all different times, and as an actor, you just hope you do work that not just stands the test of time (and) that people still remember, but they still enjoy,” she says. “If your art that you’ve created is still meaningful and also as the world changes that it still has emotional resonance to the fans, that’s all we could ever ask for.
“But I also feel like some people get stuck in that,” she adds. “I don’t feel like anyone’s ever done that to me. It’s not like people only know me from one thing in the ’90s or they only wanna see me as one thing from the ’90s. I’ve been extremely fortunate.”
Returning for a reboot of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” or a cameo in 2025’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” doesn’t change that, she says. Nor does her most recent project, a collaboration with eBay for a pop-up of personally curated throwback items from the decade.
“It means that your work resonates,” she says of reboots. “And that people are still wanting more from a performance you made that many years ago.” Also, with age comes experience, Gellar adds, hinting that her acting is better than ever.
“To get the chance to be able to build on those original performances is pretty lucky,” she says. As for the ongoing debate surrounding Hollywood’s so-called sequel-mania, Gellar is not too impressed.
“I feel like people are really hard on it, but you never get mad every time … someone does a new adaptation of Shakespeare or Brontë or any of the classics,” she says. “At the end of the day, there’s only so many stories in the world and they all sort of are derivatives.
“I think as long as they’re good and it’s not just a rehashing. As long as the work is put in,” she continues, referencing “Freakier Friday” and “Alien: Romulus” as examples of a job well done. “It’s all about the DNA. If you can capture the DNA of an original, I think you’re golden.”